Why Your Competitors May Be Appearing Above You on Google
You search for your own trade in your own town, and there is a business above you. Maybe it is not even better than you. It is a frustrating moment, and it is easy to assume something unfair is going on.
Usually it is not. Local results depend on a handful of well-understood factors, and most gaps can be narrowed with steady work. This article explains the likely reasons and ends with a checklist you can work through this week.
How Google decides who goes first locally
For local searches Google talks about three broad ideas: relevance, distance and prominence. Relevance is how well your listing and website match what the person typed. Distance is how close you appear to be to the searcher or the area they name. Prominence is how well known and trusted you seem, which reviews, mentions and a well-established web presence can influence.
Nobody outside Google knows the exact weighting, so be wary of anyone who claims to. What you can do is improve each of the three honestly.
Reasons a competitor might be above you
There are plenty of ordinary explanations, none of which mean they are doing anything wrong:
Most of these are fixable. A few, such as distance, are not, and it is worth separating the two so you spend your effort where it can make a difference.
- Their Google Business Profile is more complete, with the right categories, services and photos
- They have more reviews, or reply to reviews more often
- Their website has a separate page for each service, so it matches more searches
- They are physically closer to the person searching
- Their name, address and phone number are consistent across the web
- Their site loads quickly and works well on a phone
- They have been publishing useful content for longer
Distance is the one you cannot change
A roofer based in Colchester will often have an edge for searches from Colchester, even if a Chelmsford firm is excellent. Searchers in different parts of Essex may see different results, and the same person may see different results at different times. Check from more than one spot before you decide you are being outranked.
Use that to your advantage. Make clear which places you serve, and build pages that reflect where you really work, such as the roofing coverage in Colchester or the surrounding area.
If you are working from the middle of the county, say Chelmsford or Brentwood, you may be competitive over a wide area. If you sit on the edge, you may need to be more specific about the towns you serve and build proof for them.
What to look at on your own site
Open your website on your phone. Is the phone number easy to tap? Does the page load without a wait? Does each service have enough detail to answer a customer's questions? Many small business sites fail on exactly these basics. If you need a reminder of the foundations, read a simple guide to getting found on Google.
Ask a friend to try contacting you from their phone as if they were a customer. Watching someone else struggle to find your number or fill in a form is very revealing.
Your competitor-gap checklist
Work through these in order, and note what you find:
- Search your main service plus your town, and note who appears
- Look at their Google profile: categories, photos, review count, replies
- Compare your profile and fix gaps, using how to improve your Google Business Profile
- Check your name, address and phone number match everywhere
- Count how many of your services have their own page
- Test your site speed and mobile layout
- Check you are asking every happy customer for a review
- Decide on one improvement per week and stick to it
Do not copy, do better
Looking at a competitor is useful for spotting gaps, not for copying their text. Copied content adds little and may cause problems. Instead ask what the customer would still want to know after reading their page, and answer it on yours. Real photos, real jobs and honest detail are things a rival cannot copy from you.
If you would rather have help closing the gap, Hawksworth's packages cover service pages, Google Business Profile setup and ongoing local content. Nobody can promise a particular position, and you should be cautious of anyone who does.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are my competitors paying to be above me?
Possibly, if they are in the adverts at the top, which are labelled as ads. The listings below the adverts, including the map results, are not paid for. If a rival appears in the normal results, it is usually down to their profile, reviews and website rather than payment.
Why do I appear on the map but not high in the main results?
The map results and the standard website results use related but separate signals. Your Google Business Profile mainly influences the map, while your website content and its overall quality influence the standard results. Improving both, and keeping them consistent, gives you the best chance in each.
Will more reviews push me above a competitor?
Reviews are part of prominence, so they can help, but they are one of several factors and nobody can promise an exact effect. Keep asking genuine customers, reply to everything, and combine reviews with a complete profile and helpful service pages for the best chance.
How often should I check where I rank?
Once a month is plenty. Results vary by location, device and time of day, so do not panic over daily changes. Search in a private window, try a few towns you cover, and keep notes. Look at the trend over several months rather than a single result.
Want this done for your business?
Take a look at our website design for Essex tradesmen, the packages and some live examples. For roofers, see Roofer Websites Essex.
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